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In a reversal from previous years’ pollution reductions, the United States spewed 2.4% more heat-trapping gases from the burning of fossil fuels in 2025 than in the year before, researchers calculated in a study released Tuesday. The increase in greenhouse gas emissions is attributable to a combination of a cool winter, the explosive growth of data centers and cryptocurrency mining, and higher natural gas prices, according to the Rhodium Group, an independent research firm. Environmental policy rollbacks by President Donald Trumps administration were not significant factors in the increase because they were only put in place this year, the study authors said. Heat-trapping gases from the burning of coal, oil, and natural gas are the major cause of worsening global warming, scientists say. American emissions of carbon dioxide and methane had dropped 20% from 2005 to 2024, with a few one- or two-year increases in the overall downward trend. Traditionally, carbon pollution has risen alongside economic growth, but efforts to boost cleaner energy in recent years decoupled the two, so emissions would drop as gross domestic product rose. But that changed last year with pollution actually growing faster than economic activity, said study co-author Ben King, a director in Rhodium’s energy group. He estimated the U.S. put 5.9 billion tons (5.35 billion metric tons) of carbon dioxide equivalent in the air in 2025, which is 139 million tons (126 million metric tons) more than in 2024. The cold 2025 winter meant more heating of buildings, which often comes from natural gas and fuel oil that are big greenhouse gas emitters, King said. A significant and noticeable jump in electricity demand from data centers and cryptocurrency mining meant more power plants producing energy. That included plants using coal, which creates more carbon pollution than other fuel sources. A rise in natural gas prices helped create an 13% increase in coal power, which had shrunk by nearly two-thirds since its peak in 2007, King said. Its not like this is a huge rebound, King said. Were not sitting here claiming that coal is back and going to dominate the sector or anything like that. But we did see this increase and that was a large part of why emissions went up in the power sector. It will take time for data to reflect Trump policies King said the list of more than two dozen proposed rollbacks of American environmental policies by the Trump administration hadn’t been in place long enough to have an effect in 2025, but may be more noticeable in future years. Its one year of data so far, King said. So we need to see the extent to which this trend sustains. Solar power generation jumped 34%, pushing it past hydroelectric power, with zero-carbon emitting energy sources now supplying 42% of American power, Rhodium found. It will be interesting to see what happens as the Trump administration ends solar and wind subsidies and discourages their use, King said. “The economic case for adding renewables is quite strong still,” King said. This stuff is cost-competitive in a lot of places. Try as they might, this administration cant alter the fundamental economics of this stuff. Before the Trump administration took office, the Rhodium team projected that in 2035 U.S. greenhouse gas emissions would have fallen between 38% and 56% compared to 2005 levels, King said. Now, the projected pollution drop is expected to be about one-third less, he calculated. Experts say pollution increase is an ominous sign Others who were not involved in the Rhodium report said last year’s increase in emissions is an ominous sign. Unfortunately, the 2025 U.S. emission increase is likely a harbinger of whats to come as the U.S. federal leadership continues to make what amounts to a huge unforced economic error by favoring legacy fossil fuels when the rest of the world is going all in on mobility and power generation using low-carbon technology, primarily based on renewables and batteries, said University of Michigan environment dean Jonathan Overpeck. Overpeck said that favoring fossil fuels will harm both the U.S. economy and air quality. Longtime climate change activist Bill McKibben said bluntly: It’s so incredibly stupid that the U.S. is going backwards on this stuff.” The Environmental Protection Agency said in a statement it wasn’t familiar with the Rhodium Group report and is carrying out our core mission of protecting human health. ___ The Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find APs standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. Seth Borenstein, AP science writer
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The BBC plans to ask a court to throw out U.S. President Donald Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the British broadcaster, court papers show.Trump filed a lawsuit in December over the way the BBC edited a speech he gave on Jan. 6, 2021. The claim, filed in a Florida federal court, seeks $5 billion in damages for defamation and $5 billion for unfair trade practices.The speech took place before some of Trump’s supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol as Congress was poised to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election that Trump falsely alleged was stolen from him.The BBC had broadcast the documentary titled “Trump: A Second Chance?” days before the 2024 U.S. presidential election. It spliced together three quotes from two sections of the 2021 speech, delivered almost an hour apart, into what appeared to be one quote in which Trump urged supporters to march with him and “fight like hell.” Among the parts cut out was a section where Trump said he wanted supporters to demonstrate peacefully.The broadcaster has apologized to Trump over the edit of the Jan. 6 speech. But the publicly funded BBC rejects claims it defamed him. The furor triggered the resignations of the BBC’s top executive and its head of news.Papers filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Miami say the BBC will file a motion to dismiss the case on March 17 on the basis that the court lacks jurisdiction and Trump failed to state a claim.The broadcaster’s lawyers will argue that the BBC did not create, produce or broadcast the documentary in Florida and that Trump’s claim the documentary was available in the U.S. on streaming service BritBox is not true.It will also argue that Trump has failed to “plausibly allege” the BBC acted with malice in airing the documentary.Attorney Charles Tobin, for the BBC, said Trump can’t prove actual damages because he won reelection by a commanding margin, and carried Florida by 13-point margin, better than his 2016 and 2020 performances. He said the documentary also couldn’t have harmed his reputation because it aired after Trump was indicted by a federal grand jury over alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election, including allegations he “directed the crowd in front of him to go to the Capitol.”The BBC is asking the court to postpone discovery the pretrial process in which parties must turn over documents and other information pending a decision on the motion to dismiss. The discovery process could require the BBC to hand over reams of emails and other materials related to its coverage of Trump.“Engaging in unbounded merits-based discovery while the motion to dismiss is pending will subject defendants to considerable burdens and costs that will be unnecessary if the motion is granted,” Tobin wrote.If the case continues, a 2027 trial date has been proposed.“As we have made clear previously, we will be defending this case,” the BBC said Tuesday in a statement. “We are not going to make further comment on ongoing legal proceedings.” Jill Lawless and Brian Melley, Associated Press
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If youre crypto-rich and cash-poor, you might still have a shot at securing a home loan without having to sell off your assets. Starting next month, mortgage lender Newrez will let applicants count their cryptocurrency when applying for a home loan. Historically, a borrowers crypto holdings wouldnt be considered in the loan application process. For anyone holding a large amount of digital currency, liquidating someand incurring that tax billmight be necessary to qualify for a loan in instances where traditional investments or cash are scarce. Today, an increasing number of consumers include crypto in their investment portfolios, while major financial institutions are deepening their involvement in crypto assets, supported by key regulatory developments, Newrez President Baron Silverstein said in the announcement, adding that now is the right time to weave crypto into the mortgage lending business. The company plans to introduce the new option next month. Crypto isnt Newrezs only high tech experiment. Last week, the lender announced that it would invest an undisclosed amount in HomeVision, an AI-powered tool for the mortgage underwriting process. Newrez isnt a top 10 mortgage company by loan volume, but its clearly angling to make a name for itself as a lender friendly to new technologies that other, bigger lenders might be slower to adopt. Around 14% of adults in the U.S. own cryptocurrency, but the majority of Americans say they would never buy it, according to a recent Gallup poll. Noting that Gen Z and Millennial investors are more comfortable with crypto, Newrez Chief Commercial Officer Leslie Gillin described the change as opening new pathways to homeownership that offer home buyers increased financial flexibility. Cryptocurrency settles in Newrez is one of the first mortgage companies to open up to cryptocurrency, but its unlikely to be the last. In July, the Federal Housing Finance Agency directed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mactwo pillars of the U.S. mortgage ecosystemto draft proposals for considering crypto as an asset in mortgage applications. On X, the agencys director William Pulte explained that the plan was part of President Trumps vision to make the United States the crypto capital of the world. Major U.S. banks and other financial institutions started warming up to Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies in 2025. Banks have long been skittish about the much-hyped digital assets due to regulatory uncertainty, their inherent volatility and a lingering association with cybercrime. But with Trump back in office, crypto is on the menuboth for banking stalwarts and speculative investors, who drove a post-election Bitcoin run that sent the king of coins to new heights. The president is also cashing in, raking in millions via token sales with World Liberty Financial, the Trump familys flashy, ethically dubious crypto venture. In the current intensely crypto-friendly regulatory environment, major banks have begun tiptoeing into the realm of digital currencies. This year, Chase will let customers leverage credit card rewards points to buy cryptocurrency through Coinbasea first for a major rewards program. Mastercard was reportedly shopping for a major crypto acquisition last year and went on to introduce new support for stablecoin wallets.
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